Air Seychelles signs deal with Air Berlin to bring code shared flights to Germany to 38 a week
AIR SEYCHELLES SIGNS CODE SHARE DEAL WITH AIR BERLIN The partnership between Air Seychelles and Abu Dhabi’s national airline Etihad, which holds 40 percent of the Air Seychelles shares and manages the carrier under a multiyear management agreement, is paying off handsomely and has now facilitated a new code share arrangement which come into place […]
Uganda’s River Nile makes it into the top 7 natural wonders of Africa
UGANDA SCOOPS RECOGNITION FOR THE NILE AS TANZANIA TAKES THREE OF SEVEN The award ceremony on Monday in Arusha for the 7 natural wonders of Africa, chosen from 12 accepted nominations, saw the River Nile, which starts its journey to the Mediterranean Sea at the ‘Source of the Nile’ in Jinja elected as Uganda’s only […]
UCAA announces strong growth for 2012
UGANDA CAA RECORDS 14 PERCENT TRAFFIC GROWTH IN 2012 Ignie Igundura, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson, has just released the 2012 performance statistics in terms of passenger and cargo movements. Passenger traffic grew by a margin of 14.1 percent while cargo traffic added a round 15 percent, compared to the year 2011. Passenger numbers […]
Baker’s ‘Discoveries’ to be celebrated in Uganda on the 150th anniversary
BAKER’S DISCOVERIES IN UGANDA TO BE CELEBRATED ON THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY Uganda’s tourism and conservation organizations are planning a special commemoration of Sir Samuel Baker’s first visit to Uganda on the forthcoming 150th anniversary. Credited to have ‘discovered’ the source of the River Nile, back then at the Rippon Falls which got submerged in the […]
Kenya Airways joins hands with Born Free Foundation against poaching
KENYA AIRWAYS SIGNS UP WITH ANTI POACHING COALITION The Pride of Africa yesterday signed a partnership agreement with the Born Free Foundation to join hands in opposing the wave of poaching currently inflicted on Kenya’s wildlife, where since the beginning of the year at least 70 elephant have been poached and at least four dead […]
Sauti Za Busara ante portas
SAUTI ZA BUSARA VERSION 10.0 READY TO RUMBLE East Africa’s best known performing arts festival, Sauti Za Busara is about to kick off its 10th anniversary edition on the 14th of February on the spice island of Zanzibar and the eyes of Africa, and in fact the world, will once again focus on what extraordinary […]
Notting Hill claims Seychelles Carnival top prize for third year running
NOTTING HILL MAKES IT THREE IN A ROW (Seychelles’ Minister of Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange seen with some of the performers) It came as no surprise that the three top foreign teams competing for the honours of claiming first prize in the just concluded Carnaval de Carnivals, the Carnival International de Victoria 2013, […]
Water shortages set to threaten tourism growth
COAST TOURISM WARY OF WATER WARNING Warnings over a water deficit of some 65 percent were looming large when the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Water admitted at a function in Malindi district a few days ago, when opening a refurbished water station at Baricho. After the improvements at the pumping station and water […]
Weekly update of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Second edition February 2013
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome You can get your daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’ or […]
Rwandan authorities consider charging hotel and managers over severe food poisoning case
BARBARA BUSH FOOD POISONING CASE IN KIBUYE MAY END MANAGERS IN COURT A case of severe food poising at the church operated hotel in Kibuye / Rwanda on the shores of Lake Kivu has ended over 20 guests participating in a workshop in hospital. Barbara Bush, daughter of former US President George W. Bush, was […]
Seychelles and La Reunion ink new extended co-hosting agreement for future Carnival Festivals
SEYCHELLES AND LA REUNION SIGN CO-HOSTING AGREEMENT The President of the Regional Council of the French island of La Reunion Mr. Robert Didier and Seychelles Tourism Minister Alain St. Ange signed a new agreement on the sidelines of the just concluded Carnaval de Carnivals – The Carnival International de Victoria which cements the three year […]
Likoni Ferry again involved in run away truck accident
ANOTHER FERRY ACCIDENT SPARES LIVES BUT SCARES COMMUTERS TO BITS Saturday morning brought the memories of the gruesome ferry accident of two weeks ago back to the forefront, when yet another lorry failed on Saturday to climb the steep ramp, the driver lost control and started rolling back towards the ferry before crashing into it. […]
It is all lies says Fly540 … says who?
IT IS ALL LIES SAYS FLY 540 In yet a further escalation of the tone and intensity of the raging dispute between the erstwhile partners has Fly540 now made sweeping allegations against FastJet, telling them in all but name that they are telling lies and challenging them to check signed agreements and other documents with […]
And the Carnival is Over
AND THE CARNIVAL IS OVER – FOR THIS YEAR The classic song by the Seekers from 1968 came to mind when the Notting Hill Carnival Road Show Company once again had the cat whistles in the air and screams of approval fill the streets of Victoria, being the last highlight and the last in fact […]
Kenya secures finance for JKIA expansion to create a world class airport
KENYA SECURES PROJECT GREENFIELD AIRPORT EXPANSION FINANCING A regular aviation source from Nairobi has confirmed that the Kenyan government has completed the financing arrangements for the new mega terminal, second runway and other related facilities, which is estimated to cost at current prices well over 650 million US Dollars. It is generally expected that the […]
President Kibaki commissions phase one of new Isiolo airport
PRESIDENT KIBAKI COMMISSIONS NEW ISIOLO AIRPORT PHASE ONE President Mwai Kibaki yesterday formally opened the first phase of the new airport in Isiolo. A new hard surface runway of 1.4 kilometres is the first visible sign of the new airport taking shape, due to be expanded to cater for larger jets in the future but […]
Gala show kicks off Seychelles’ Carnaval de Carnivals
SEYCHELLES CARNIVAL KICKS OFF WITH A BIG BANG AS BRAZIL STEALS THE SHOW LA REUNION, ZIMBABWE, MADAGASCAR were the names called out when Alain St. Ange, Minister of Tourism and Culture, introduced the co- hosts of this year’s Carnaval de Carnivals, the Carnival International de Victoria, bringing together 3 or the initial 6 Vanilla Islands […]
It is Carnival time in the Seychelles
CARNAVAL DE CARNIVALS EDITION 3.0 GOES UNDERWAY WITH MEDIA BRIEFING The Constance Ephelia Resort provided a befitting venue for the launch of the third edition of the Seychelles’ Carnival International de Victoria, which will have 19 participating foreign groups show off their floats and performances, when the juggernaut hits peak with the parade on Saturday […]
STA signs yet another MOU with Maltese counterparts
SEYCHELLES TOURISM ACADEMY SIGNS MOU WITH MALTESE COUNTERPARTS In recent weeks did the Seychelles Tourism Academy sign MoU’s with counterpart institutions in Oman and Shanghai, before now embarking on their latest mission to do the same with the Maltese national tourism and hospitality training institute. According to a source in Victoria this will pave the […]
KWS rocked by suspensions and a transfer wave of senior staff
KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE SENIORS FACE SUSPENSION AND REDEPLOYMENT Kenyans will be waking up to stark news of significant changes at the Kenya Wildlife Service, which is facing mounting pressure from the country’s tourism industry and conservationists over the recent upsurge of poaching across the country. The man who briefly held the Acting Executive Directorship until […]
Has the air ran out for FastJet?
HAS THE AIR RAN OUT FOR FASTJET? The news for upstart FastJet are just getting grimmer by the day, as erstwhile partner now turned foe Fly 540 is reportedly stepping up efforts to extract by hook or crook nearly 7 million US Dollars from the FastJet owners, something they however strenuously and continuously deny ever […]
Happy 3rd Birthday to the Constance Ephelia Resort
CONSTANCE EPHELIA RESORT TURNS THREE Three years down the line and three visits later the Constance Ephelia Resort has just turned 3 years old, young in human years but enough time to mature beyond expectations. First seen while still in the final stages of construction and permitted a hard hat tour of the property in […]
Air Tanzania set for Friday relaunch of Mtwara flights
AIR TANZANIA ANNOUNCES ITS RETURN TO MTWARA After overcoming the cracked cockpit window incident on the inaugural flight to Kigoma three weeks ago, when the airline’s Bombardier Q300 aircraft for the first time went back into the air for a commercial flight since its accident in Kigoma in April last year, has Air Tanzania’s Acting […]
RDB set to grade at least 30 more hospitality businesses and hotels in 2013
RDB SET TO GRADE A FURTHER 30 HOTELS THIS YEAR Information was confirmed from a regular source in Kigali, that the Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department will grade at least 30 more hotels this year, following the start of the exercise last year. Using the East African Community’s guidelines for grading and classification […]
Anti poaching demonstrations name China as a main culprit in Africa’s poaching crisis
KENYA’S TOURISM SECTOR NAMES CHINA AS ‘ENEMY OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION (Cartoon courtesy of The Star Editorial Cartoons) The tone is getting sharper and the message louder and clearer whom Kenya’s tourism industry who is who consider the main culprit in the growing wave of poaching incidents witnessed in recent months across Kenya. A demonstration organized […]
Stop poaching now demand tourism stakeholders in Mombasa demonstration
TOURISM INDUSTRY MARCHES AGAINST POACHING MENACE (MCTA Chairman Mohammed Hersi, wearing a necktie on the left, leads the demonstration against poaching in Mombasa along Moi Avenue) MCTA Chairman Mohammed Hersi, also Area General Manager Coast for Sarova Hotels in charge of the Whitesands Beach Resort and Spa and the two sister lodges of Taita Hills […]
The Air is indeed getting thin up there
THE AIR IS INDEED GETTING THIN UP THERE Predictably were the outcries from those named angry but for certain in denial, after the latest article was published on the ups and downs and twists in the tail of the FastJet versus Fly540 saga in Kenya and Tanzania. As done before, it is always interesting to […]
Seychelles gets new Dornier aerial surveillance aircraft
SEYCHELLES BOOSTS AERIAL SURVEILLANCE CAPACITY WITH NEW PLANE The Seychelles government has over the weekend taken formal delivery of a brand new Dornier surveillance aircraft, built in India and donated by the Indian government to the Seychelles as part of their bilateral assistance. For the last nearly two years was an Indian airforce Dornier deployed […]
Soroti Flying School aircraft crashes as both pilots cheat death
TRAINING AIRCRAFT CRASHES BUT BOTH PILOTS ESCAPE WITH MINOR INJURIES The East African Aviation Academy in Soroti, aka, Flying School, a designated centre of excellence by the East African Community, has returned to the headlines for all the wrong reasons again, when a training aircraft crashed yesterday. The small Cessna plane carried two pilots currently […]
An Appeal by Eco Tourism Kenya – Stop Poaching Now
Tourism Expert Seeks High Court’s Help to Curb Wildlife Poaching Today, High Court Judge Lady Justice Mumbi Ngugi, presided over the mention of a petition filed on 25th January 2013 by Mr. Kahindi Lekalhaile, an ecotourism expert and renowned conservation scientist, and others seeking redress for the rampant illegal killing of rhino and elephants for […]
